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November 05, 2006

Suns vs Clippers: Courtside Report

by Brett Edwards
Saturday night the Suns came to town to take on the Clippers, playing each other for the second time this week. Each team won on their home court, with the Clippers taking this one 114-108. We were fortunate enough to be sitting courtside, so here are some first-hand observations along with a couple of video clips we took from these sick seats:

- Amare Stoudamire is not even close to the monster he was before his knee surgery(s). Remember the Amare who was dropping 37 and 20 on Tim Duncan in the playoffs a couple of years ago? Unfortunately we may never see that man again. He only played 11 minutes in the first half, and had 2 points. He did not play at all in the second half. This could just be because it was the second night of a back-to-back, and the team is bringing him back slowly. But honestly when he was in the game, he didn't even look to do anything with the ball.

- Steve Nash is short. He's officially listed as 6-3, but there's no way he's that tall. He was like five feet away from me during pre-game warm-ups. I'm only 5'11", and he was maybe an inch taller than me. Believe me when I tell you I'm being generous by giving him the full inch. So it's crazy that he has the ability to take over a game, like he did during the 3rd when he brought the Suns back from a double-digit deficit.

- When Shawn Marion gets hot, look out. He's virtually unstoppable, and was a big reason the Suns made this a game. The problem was that they didn't pass him the ball. Marion had 8 points in the 3rd, then two 3-pointers in the first minute of the 4th. He didn't score again until there was 0:12 left and the game was over. Hey Suns, feel free to pass your best scorer the ball.

OK, now for a couple of video clips we took. The first is Nash taking out his frustrations after a missed free throw by kicking the ball towards the basket. I guess the "zero tolerance" policy doesn't apply to the MVP, because much to the crowd's disappointment no technical was called.

This one just shows the quickness and athleticism of Shawn Marion, as he comes flying in from our right side for the jam. The crowd's reaction says it all.

Comments

nash's height listing has bounced around from 6- 6'3" his entire career. The guy is an even 6', on a good day. And yes, the Suns need to get Marion the ball. STAT will work his way back into his game, or at least an approximation thereof within a couple of months, but for now, I think coming off the bench isn't doing wonders for his confidence... The Suns haven't looked good so far this season, because D'Antoni has been effing up this season... He's been playing Marcus Banks WAY too much, at which point, the Suns immediately lose control of the game. Not only that, Nash comes back into the game after the Suns are down and he is cold. Shit, this ain't rocket science Mike, it's Lenovo Stats!